Washing-machine



E. B. HOFF. WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. I7. I9I9`.

Patlented Mar. 16,

Inventor: Earl B lloff,

v His JltLo'I-ne UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

EARL IB. HOFF, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANERv COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application led October 17, 1919. Serial No. 331,419.

To all wiz/m it may concern Be it known that I, lEARL B. HOFF, a citi'- zon of the United States, residing at Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the followingl is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to washing machines and has for its object to improve and simplify their construction.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying specification and the claims appended thereto.

In the attached drawing which is illustrative of my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a washing machine; Fig. 2 is a' plan view of the bells; Figs. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the path of each of the bells while the machine is in operation; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the socket of the bell carrying yoke, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a slight modification of the bearing member which supports the bell carrying yoke.

5 indicates a base or frame of any suitable construction having three or more supporting legs 6. 7 indicates the tub or casing and 8 the cover thereof, which has an internal vertical iiange 9 and a horizontal flange 10, the two serving to prevent water from splashing over the sidesof the tub and to hold the cover in the correct position. The bottom 13 of the tub is arranged in a series of steps 14 and the lowest portion is pro-- vided with a suitable drain7 not shown, by means of which water can be easily removed after use. The stepped arrangement. also serves to stii'len the bottom of the tub.

15 indicates a vertical column or pillar which is located centrally of' the tub and extends through the bottom for a short distance. It is screw-threaded at its lower end into an upwardly extending boss 16 formed on one of the upper frame members.- The stepped arrangement of the bottom of the tub provides sufficient space for this purpose. Where the pillar passes through said bottom it is provided with a nut 17 which when screwed into place clamps the bottom between it and the boss and makes awatertight joint to prevent leakage. One or more gaskets are commonly employed between the meetin surfaces to assist in making a good seal. he tub is seated directly on the framework and the arrangement of thebase, pillar and nut hold the parts in their proper relation; This arrangement affords'a` very simple means for assembling or taking down the machine. The upper end of the pillar terminates in a bearing 18. Located within the pillar and extending completely through it is .a vertical shaft 19, the upper end of which is provided with a wabbler crank 20 which is inclined at a substantial angle to the vertical axis of the shaft. This crank imparts the ,peculiar wabbler motion to the bells as will appear later.

The lower end of the shaft 19 extends into the hub 21 of a large friction wheel 22, said wheel being free to turn thereon. On the lower end of the shaft is a disk 23 by means of which the wheel is supported. Mounted on the hub of the wheel is a pinion 24 which meshes with the gear wheel 25. Above this wheel and mounted on the same spindle 26 is a small intermediate gear 27 which in turn meshes with the gear 28 keyed or otherwise fastened to the lower end of the vertical shaft 19. The friction wheel and the above described gears forma speed reducing means between the electric motor 29 and the vertical shaft 19. The rotating element or armature of the motor has a friction wheel 30, shown in dotted lines, which engages the periphery of theJ large wheel 22 and drives it. The motor itself is supported on' one of the vertical legs of the frame. The motor and driven parts are close up to the bottom of the tub, an arrangement which prevents water from adecting them, and also prevents accidents. The driven wheel is provided with an enlargement 3l which forms a housing for the gears and renders it practically impossible for any foreign matter to et into them. Any lubricant applied to t e gears is also confined to the region of the gears by the shape and character of the housing. In the housing is also provided an oil hole 32 to feed lubricant to the supporting and bearing disk 23.

The upper end of the shaft 19 below the crank is provided with a thrust collar 33 which rests on the upper end of the pillar and in this manner supports-the Weight of the friction wheel 22. Mounted on the inclined or wabbler crank 20 which has an orbital movement defining an inverted cone as well as a rotary movement, is a bearing member 34 upon which is seated the par-t lover Asaid member land is prevented from turning thereon by the flat faces 37, Fig. 4, or equivalent means. The parts 34 and 35 form a yoke for supporting and actuating the-bells. They can be formed in one piece but for simplicity of construction it is preferable lto make them separate.. Further, since wear will in time take place, it is better to have the part in which it takes place replaceable at a small expense. Also it permits of the use of dilerent kinds of metal, which is particularly desirable Where a good bearing surface is required. The yoke has arms 38, each of which terminates in a lat spring member 39 which carries a bell 40. The ends of the springarms .are turned inwardly to prevent them from catching the material which is being introduce-d and removed from the tub.

I have shown three angularly displaced arms and bells -since this arrangement .has

their movements.

proved satisfactory in practice and causes the proper processional movement of the material being washed in the tub. With three bells the agitation of the water is very marked and thorough( washing is effected. Attached to each bell is a rod 41 which terminates at'its upper end in a ball the latter beingcontained ina cup 42 that is held in place by `a screw and nut 43. In other words, each bell is connected to the yoke b-y a supporting spring and ballandsocket joint which permits the bell to accommodate itself to various thicknesses Aof material be ing washed and to irregularities in the surfacey thereof. i.

In order to ee'ctively utilize the bells to force water through the material being Washed on the downward stroke and to suck water up through it on the upward stroke, it is necessary to provide means for controlling It is also necessary in order to obtain the best results to provide means for slowly rotating the material within the tubwhile being Washed in order that all `of it may be brought successively under the action of the bells. This rotation or processional movement must bes-low since.otherwise there is a tendency for the material to be wound around the pillar. It has been proposed to slowly rotate the yoke and bellsduring the Washing operation, z'. 6.," `while the bells are working up and down but this requires additional apparatus and adds of course to the expense and complexity of the apparatus as a whole. .I have in-v vented or discovered an arrangement of A parts whereby a) very simple means sufiices for both purposes. To this end a pin 44 or equivalent device'is mounted on the bearing member 34 ofthe yoke and arranged to move up land down in a vertical slot 45 formed in a substantially 'spherical head 46, the latter being mounted on the upper end member 3 4 of the yoke so as to prevent as fully as possible water due to splashing from having access to the shaft and crank. The head is also provided with a downwardly inclined portion which covers the thrust collar 33, and any water which gets into the `head has a chance to drain out through the slot 45 prevent the bearing member -34 of the yoke from rotating with the crank and shaft. As a result of this arrangement the bells are successively depressed tothe bottom of their strokes and then raised to the upper ends. The net result of theaction of the variouslparts is to impart to the yoke and bells a wabbler action, the bells moving in substantially vertical planes. Each bell has an orbital movement Which is indicated diagrammatically at 48 in Fig. v3. This figure is a view looking from the axis of the shaft outwardly with thel frictionwheel 22 moving in a counter-clockwise direction. It will be noted that the major axis of the diagram is rearwardly inclined from the vertical. 'As the crank moves in its orbit each bell is successively depressed as indicated by the' arrow 49; this downward movement being at an` angle to the vertical causes the bells to push the material in the tub or caswinding around the pillar 15 which would of course be highly objectionable. The upward or suction movement of the bell in its orbit has very little effect in moving the material being -washed because the lower part of the upstroke where the bell is in the water is substantially Vertical, but such eiect as -it has appearsto aidthe down stroke in this particular. In brief, it may be stated that the materiall being washed is on`each complete stroke of the bell advanced by an amount substantially equal to the short axis of the orbit 48, the arrow 50indicating the v direction of movement of the material. Of course, in a construction of this kind Where the bells are, alternately dipping into the water, Where the material being washed is constantly undergoing changes in thickness,

' etc.,- and where diferent amounts are apt t'o be present, itis rather dilicult to specify the exactamount of its progressaround the tub but irrespective oli-.the amount of movement it does circulate and at such a rate as to bring different parts successively under the bells with the result of thoroughly washing the same.

In the operation of the machine, there should be enough water in the tub to insure each bell dipping into it before it reaches the lower end of its orbital movement. The yokeand bells can be readily removed if desired, either for the purpose ,of inserting and withdrawing material or for cleaning and drying the parts after use. No special means are -necessary to hold the yoke on the member 34 against upward thrust because when the pressure on the bell is at its maximum as for example, on the right-hand .bell in Fig. l, such thrust is taken by the inclined yoke member 34 and the crank.

By preference the friction wheel 30 is made of insulating material such as rubber, and the motor 29 is well insulated from the frame so as to eliminate all danger to the operator in case the electrical apparatus should become grounded.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a modification of the invention which is particularly well adapted to prevent water which is splashed about by the bells from getting into the bearings of the machine and into the central pillar. The arrangement also has the advantage that the bearing' member can be more readily removed when for any reason it is necessary or desirable. 16 indicates the centra-l pillar, 19 the shaft and 20 the wabbler crank. Mounted on the upper end of the pillar and held in place by screws or other means is a head 46 which is provided with a spherical enlargement 51 having one or two vertical sl'ots 52. As shown two such slots are provided and arranged dia-metrica-lly opposite. The bearing member 34 instead of being located inside of the head as in Fig. 1 is arranged to surround the upper end thereof. To this end said member is provided with a downwardly extending skirt 53 which completely covers the spherical portion of the head. The under surfacev of the skirt is generally spherical in form and is separated from the head by a relatively small clearance to prevent the free entrance of water when the vmachine is in operation. The opposite sides of the skirt are reinforced by vertical ribs 54 and supported-- by said reinforced portions are two pins 55- having enlarged heads which enter the slots 52 and prevent the bearing member from rotating with the wabbler crank.

All of the motive parts are under the tub and close to its bottom so as to be out of the way and free from any water which may be splashed about. This is of particular importance where an electrical motor is used and which, if wet, would be short-circuited and probably destroyed. By arranging all the working parts below the cover and independent thereof, the washing operations are much simplified and the necessity of special water-tight packings or joints avoided. The member 3%, Fig. 1, can be easily re- `moved by first taking out the screws 47 in the head, then the screw and washer in the outer end of the crank, and raising it and the head at the same time.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the most important feature of my invention is the provision of a simple. means for actuating the bel-ls, together with an arrangement of parts whereby processional movement of the material being washed is obtained with a stationary tub and a non-rotating yoke which actuates the bells.

Owing to thel fact that the center of the. tub is higher than the outer portion, the material being washed has a tendency to move away from the central pillar and toward the outer wall.' Due to this arrangement and to the action of the bells, the material being washed has a sort of cork-screw motion as it moves about. The advantage of this resides in the fact that the material being washed does not maintain itself in definite layers at all times, and hence that which formed the upper layer at one time later on becomes an intermediate or bottom layer with the result that all of the material in the course of operation of the machine, is brought under the direct action of the bells.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle ofoperation of my invention. together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a washing machine.` the combination of a stationary tub adapted to receive water and the material to be washed, a vertical shaft which rises from the bottom of the tub and has a wabbler crank at its upper end, bearing means for holding the. shaft in its upright position, a yoke and bells mounted on the crank and in which the latter is free to rotate, means which prevent the. yoke and bells from rotating while permitting the crank to impart thereto a wabbler aetion, and means located under the tub for continuously rotating the shaft; said means acting on the lower end of the shaft.

2. In a washing machine, the combination of a tub, a support rising from the bottom of the tub, a vertical shaft held in position by the support, a crank on the upper end of the shaft which is inclined to the axis thereof and has an orbital movement defined by an inverted cone, a yoke carried by the crank, bells carried -by the yoke, each of which has an orbital movement, the major inc axis of which is generally vertical, means which prevent the yoke fromA rotating but permit the bells to be alternately depressed and raised, and means located below the bottom of the tub for rotating the said shaft.

3. *In a Washing machine, the combination of a tub, a support rising from the. bottom of the tub, a vertical shaft held in position by the support, a crank on the upper end of the shaft which is inclined to the axis thereof and has an orbital movement deined by an inverted cone, a yoke carried by 'the crank, a plurality of bells carried by the yoke and angularly displaced, each of which has an orbital movement whose major axis is generally vertical, a device carried by the support, a second device oscillating with the yoke and coperating with the first to prevent rotation of the yoke and bells, a motor located below the bottom of the tub, and speed reducing gearing also below said bottom for transmitting motion-to the lower end of the vertical shaft.

4. In a washing machine, the combination of a tub, a hollow pillar rising vertically from the bottom of the tub, a shaft located within the pillar and guided thereby, a crank at the upper end of the shaft, which is inclined to the axis thereof, a yoke mem-` ber mounted thereon in which the crank is free to turn while moving it in an orbit defined by an inverted cone, a pin carried by the member, a device carried by the pillar with which the pin engages to lprevent rotation of the member while permitting it to describe its orbital movement, a plurality of arms carriedby the yoke member which are angularly rdisplaced, bells carried by the arms, each of which has an orbital movement, the major axis of said orbit being slightly inclined to the vertical to cause processional movement of the material being' washed, a motive power agent, and means transmitting motion from the agent to the lower end of the shaft.A

5. In a washing machine, thevcombination of a tub, a hollow pillar rising vertically from the bottom` of the tub, a shaft located within the pillar and guided thereby, a crank at the upper end of the shaft which is inclined to the. axis thereof, a member mounted thereon in which'the crank is free to turn while moving it in an orbit defined by an inverted cone, a pin carried by the member, a head-which is mounted on the upperend of the pillar, and has a narrow slot on one side in which the pin rides vertically to prevent rotation of the member, a plurality of arms carried by the yoke member,

each terminating in a spring, bells c arried 'by the springs, each of which has an orbital movement in a direction which is slightly inclined to a Vertical plane, and means for applying power to the lower end of the shaft for rotating it.

6. In a washlng machine, `the combination of a hollow pillar rising vertically from the bottom of the tub, a shaft located within the pillar and guided thereby, a crank at the upper end of the shaft, which is inclined vto the axis thereof, a head mounted on the upper end of the pillar, a member mounted on the crank and in which the latter is free to turn while moving in an orbit defined by an inverted cone, a skirt' on said member which covers the open end of the head, cooperating means carried by the head and member which prevent the member'from rotating with the crank, a yoke carried. by the member, bells carried by the arms of' the yoke, each of which has an orbital movelower end of the shaft and below the tub for rotating it.

7 In a washing machine, the combination of a tub, a hollow pillar rising vertically from the bottom of the tub, a shaft located within the pillar and guided thereby, a crank at the upper end of the shaft which is inclined to the axis thereof, an openended head which is mounted on the pillar below the crank and has a spherical enlargement which latter has a vertical slot, a member mounted orthe vcrank and in which the latter is free to rotate, a skirt on said member which surrounds said enlargement a-nd is separated therefrom by a relatively'small clearance, a pin carried by the skirt which engages the walls of said slot to prevent rotation. of the member, a yoke carried by the member, bells carried by the yoke, and means for applying power to the lower end of the shaft and below the tub for rotatin it.

n witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of October, 1919.

EARL B. Horr. 

